Intangible
Cultural Heritage
Safeguarding in the
The Lakalaka, Dances and Sung
Speeches of Tonga © UNESCO
Pacific
Message
04
Introduction
06
Partnership
08
Documentation and Recognition
10
ICH for Sustainable Development
12
MDGs and ICH
15
Pacific Map
16
Fire Dance in Tonga
© ICHCAP/W. Park
Dukduk Mask Festival in PNG
© UNESCO
Blowing Traditional Samoan Horn
© UNESCO/A. Esquivel
War Canoe
© Ministry of Community and Cultural Affars, Palau
“We treasure the diversity of the
Pacific and seek a future in which its
cultures, traditions and religious beliefs
are valued, honoured and developed.”
The Pacific Plan 2005
Î
Î
Intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation,
is constantly recreated by communities and groups…
and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity,
thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
Cultural Mapping Project in PNG
© PNG National Cultural Commission
UNESCO ICH Convention
Introduction
ICH domains as defined in the ICH Convention
t Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of ICH
t Performing arts
t Social practices, rituals and festive events
t Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
Vanuatu Sand Drawings
© UNESCO
t Traditional craftsmanship
Pacific ICH is living and hence constantly being recreated by communities, groups and individuals.
Recently, because of the effects of globalisation and natural disasters, Pacific ICH has been in urgent
This is why Pacific island countries have been redoubling their efforts to implement a range of ICH
safeguarding measures. Each Pacific island country has its unique ICH and faces varying challenges
according to the socioeconomic circumstances specific to each island. However, by sharing information
and experiences while employing safeguarding measures, each Pacific island country can learn about
and support one another.
Several Pacific island countries are State Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage that was adopted by UNESCO in 2003. Two ICH elements—the Lakalaka, Dances and
Sung Speeches of Tonga, and the Vanuatu Sand Drawings—are inscribed on the Representative List of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity established by the ICH Convention.
Lakalaka
© UNESCO
Niue Meke Dance © Department of Niue Cultural Heritage
06-07
need of attention and safeguarding, lest it be lost forever.
Introduction
Pacific ICH has been modified through contact with the outside world, most notably by the adoption of
Christianity, through colonisation and by the progressive integration into a cash economy.
ICH is a concept developed in contrast to tangible cultural heritage, which covers historic
monuments and sites. In the Pacific, terminologies such as customs and traditional
knowledge have long been used to describe the concept of ICH. This shows that ICH is not
a foreign concept to the Pacific people and that ICH simply needs to be translated into local
languages. For example, after lengthy discussions, the participants in the Tarawa workshop
in 2011 translated ICH into Anuara ma Kateira ake Rikiara in the Kiribati language, which
literally means “Attitude/Behaviour and Custom/Culture are Our Heritage”.
UNESCO Pacific
T
hroughout history, the unity in diversity in the Pacific has been the foundation for the
identity, continuity and sustainable development of the region. In societies throughout
the Pacific, this cultural diversity contains indispensable information about learning and
creativity. Pacific culture has manifested itself in different languages and through various
cultural expressions. It primarily takes the form of intangible cultural heritage (ICH).
The Elders at the Tarawa Workshop
© UNESCO/A. Takahashi
Partnership
Elders and ICH Safeguarding in Kiribati
A consultation on ICH safeguarding held at a traditional meeting place
(maneaba) in Kiribati in 2011 was attended by the elders (unimane) from
seventeen outer islands of Kiribati. Unimane status implies not only age but
also wisdom and leadership within the family, village and wider community.
The unimane are traditionally responsible for overseeing matters relating to
and it has influence on the local governance of Kiribati. The consultation on
ICH safeguarding presented an opportunity for the unimane to become
familiar with the key aspects of ICH safeguarding and to discuss the link
between ICH safeguarding and the well-being of their community. At the end
of the consultation, the unimane signed a document that endorses Kiribati's
ratification of the ICH Convention.
Maneaba at Tarawa
© UNESCO/A. Takahashi
Bure Building Skills in Fiji
© Institute of Fijian Language and Culture
Support from the Elders in Kiribati © Kiribati Ministry of the Internal Affairs
08-09
community life. Their authority remains strong, especially on the outer islands,
Partnership
safeguarding requires collaboration
and partnership to be effective
and sustainable. Consultations on ICH
safeguarding organised by Pacific island
countries bring together a wide range of
stakeholders, including custodians of ICH,
traditional leaders, NGOs, researchers and
academics, private sector experts, and national
authorities, to discuss a national strategy and
Apia ICH Workrhop
action plan for ICH safeguarding. The role of
© UNESCO/A. Takahashi
traditional leaders and village representatives
is of paramount importance in the Pacific. As key actors, they help reinforce the synergy
between community-based customary laws and practices and government-supported ICH
safeguarding policies and measures.
UNESCO Pacific
ICH
Documentation and
Recognition
03 _ Persons and institutions involved with the element
t Practitioner(s)/performer(s): name, age, gender, social status
and/or professional category
t Other participants: e.g. holders and custodians
t Customary practices governing access to the element or to the
aspects of its modes of transmission
04 _ State of the element’s viability
t Threats to the enactment
t Threats to the transmission
t Availability of associated tangible elements and resources
t Safeguarding measures in place
05 _ Data gathering and inventorying
t Consent from and involvement of the community or group in
data gathering and inventorying
Field Research Team
© PNG National Cultural Commission
t Restrictions, if any, on the use of inventory data
t Resource person(s): name and status or affiliation
t Date and place of data gathering
t Date of entering data into an inventory
t Name of the person who made the inventory entry
Possible outline for an ICH inventory
06 _ References to literature, archives, audio-visual materials, etc.
01 _ Identification of the element
t Name of the element, as used by the community or group concerned
t Short, maximally informative title, including an indication of domain(s) and community(ies) concerned
t Physical location(s) of element
t Short description
02 _ Characteristics of the element
t Associated tangible elements
t Associated intangible elements
t Language(s) involved
t Perceived origin
Lakalaka
© UNESCO
Samoan Fine Mat Ceremony
Vaeruarangi Ariki
© UNESCO/L. Elerton
© Ministry of Cultural Development, Cook Islands
10-11
t Viability of associated tangible and intangible elements
Documentation and Recognition
t Concerned organisations
UNESCO Pacific
ICH
safeguarding cannot be
done without community
participation. Communities themselves
must take part in identifying and
defining ICH since they are the ones
deciding which practices are part of
their cultural heritage. UNESCO support
has been provided for ICH safeguarding
consultations and capacity-building
workshops on the ratification and
implementation of the UNESCO ICH
Convention and ICH inventory-making.
ICH for Sustainable
Development
© UNESCO/A. Takahashi
Welcoming Ceremony at Chief Roi Mata's Domain, World Heritage Site in Vanuatu
Pacific Crew at Galalofa in Samoa
© UNESCO/E. Waterman
© UNESCO/A. Takahashi
The Pacific, together with its land and oceanic areas, spans a quarter
of the planet. This is one reason why the region has particularly rich
traditional skills, knowledge and practices relating to the ocean. Civil
society organisations, such as the Voyaging Societies, established
across the Pacific island countries, have been playing an important role
in safeguarding and reviving the traditional navigation systems of the
Pacific. Thanks to their efforts, traditional ocean voyaging canoes are
rebuilt, and the transmission of specialised knowledge from the few
remaining master navigators to the young people is ensured. The Pacific
voyaging activities are thriving, spreading a message of environmental
protection and living together.
12-13
Traditional navigation systems in the Pacific
ICH for Sustainable Development
he Pacific heritage is a source of creativity
and innovation. A number of artistsin-residence programmes are hosted by
Pacific countries for artists from both within
and outside the region. Building upon its
wealth of culture, including traditional crafts,
designs and navigation methods, the Pacific
region is building a culture industry with
cultural tourism at its heart. This is presenting
Nauru Children Performing Kiribati Dance
© UNESCO/A. Takahashi
opportunities for generating income and
employment. When properly managed, community-owned tourism activities bring
economic benefits to local communities and provide unique opportunities for intercultural
dialogue between community members and visitors.
UNESCO Pacific
T
Marshallese Master Navigator
MDGs and ICH
UNESCO Pacific
Food security
Traditional economy in the informal sector and local system of
gardening and agriculture
Local-knowledge and mother-language based
Intergenerational transmission of knowledge in communities
and villages
Two Chidren Bowing to Show Respect to an Elder
© Ministry of Community and Cultural Affars, Palau
Traditional Way of Making Fire
© PNG National Cultural Commission
Empowerment of women
Traditional knowledge and skills of women and their
recognition by qualification authorities
Recognition of traditional knowledge and skills and nonformal learning in the Pacific
Protection of child and mother
Traditional birth attendants and their training and recognition
The Pacific region has been developing the Pacific Register of Qualifications
by health authorities
and Standards (PRQS) as a collaborative effort by the Qualifications Authorities
of Pacific island countries. This system aims to provide official recognition of
traditional knowledge and skills obtained by individuals mainly through non-
Prevention of diseases
Traditional performing arts in raising awareness
formal education and on-the-job training so as to improve their mobility and to
ensure consistency among qualification systems across the Pacific.
Environmental sustainability
Traditional knowledge of nature and the universe
Basket Weaving
© ICHCAP/W. Park
Partnership
Traditional chieftain system as part of governance
Cooperation development
Cooperation development in ICH safeguarding to strengthen
intercultural skills and competences
14-15
Non-formal education
MDGs and ICH
Universal primary education
UNESCO PACIFIC
MEMBER STATES
Federated States of
Micronesia
Marshall Islands
Palau
Papua
New Guinea
Nauru
Solomon
Islands
Kiribati
Tokelau
Tuvalu
Cook Islands
Samoa
Vanuatu
Fiji
Tonga
Niue
Australia
New Zealand
WS/2011/CL/PI/2
UNESCO Office for the Pacific
P.O. Box 615, Apia, Samoa
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +685 24 276
Fax: +685 22 253
www.unesco.org/apia
132 Munji-ro Yuseong-gu
Daejeon 305-380 Republic of Korea
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +82 42 820 3507
Fax: +82 42 820 3500
www.ichcap.org